The increasing reliance on communication networks to transmit more complex data, such as voice and video traffic, is causing a very high demand for bandwidth. To resolve this demand for bandwidth, communication networks are relying more upon optical fibers to transmit this complex data. Conventional communication architectures that employ coaxial cables are slowly being replaced with communication networks that comprise only fiber optic cables. One advantage that optical fibers have over coaxial cables is that a much greater amount of information can be carried on an optical fiber.
The Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) optical network architecture has been a dream of many data service providers because of the aforementioned capacity of optical fibers that enable the delivery of any mix of high-speed services to businesses and consumers over highly reliable networks. Related to FTTH is fiber to the business (FTTB). FTTH and FTTB architectures are desirable because of improved signal quality, lower maintenance, and longer life of the hardware involved with such systems. However, in the past, the cost of FTTH and FTTB architectures have been considered prohibitive. But now, because of the high demand for bandwidth and the current research and development of improved optical networks, FTTH and FTTB have become a reality.
One example of a FTTH architecture that has been introduced by the industry is a passive optical network (PON). While the PON architecture does provide an all fiber network, it can have a few drawbacks which make such a system vulnerable to service losses. One drawback of the PON architecture is that because of its increased capacity for bandwidth in communications, when a PON architecture experiences a physical disruption to data flow, such as in a case of a severed optical fiber, more communications or services may be lost compared if a similar break were to occur with an electrical wire supporting communications.
With this increased volume or bandwidth supported by optical waveguides, it is extremely important that service be restored quickly for subscribers. According to current industry standards, the maximum amount of time that is permitted to switch from a broken communication path to a functional communication path is usually on the order of fifty milliseconds. Usually, if communication paths are switched within this short time frame, then such switching is transparent or is not perceivable by the subscriber.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method and system for protecting against communication loss or disruption in an optical network system by switching from a broken communication path to a functional communication path in a very short time period, such as on the order of fifty milliseconds or less. There is also a need in the art for a method and system that can support primary and secondary communication paths in an optical network system in which the secondary communication paths can be automatically accessed when the primary communication paths have become non-functional and unable to support communications between a subscriber and a data service hub.